Using custom actions to improve wellness program particip…

Corporate wellness programs often struggle with a participation gap. Employees intend to join a step challenge, book a screening, or complete a health assessment, but the path from reminder to action involves too many steps. They must find the right portal, log in, navigate to the correct form, and confirm their choice. Each extra click loses people.

A Chatref agent with custom actions closes that gap. Instead of sending a link to a portal, the agent asks a qualifying question right in the chat, collects the employee’s response, and triggers the enrollment, booking, or data submission on the backend. The employee completes the task in a single conversational flow. For Corporate Wellness Programs, this means nudges convert to registrations, not abandoned sessions.

A custom action is a step your Chatref agent can take during a conversation. You define what information the agent should collect and what should happen when it has that information. The agent asks the employee a question, waits for the answer, and then calls an external service or logs the result.

The flow for a wellness nudge looks like this:

1. The agent recognizes an employee eligible for a program action based on the conversation context or a trigger you configure.
2. It asks a single, clear question: “Would you like to register for the spring step challenge? It starts Monday.”
3. The employee replies “yes” or provides a required detail like their department or shift.
4. The agent executes the custom action, sending the collected data to your wellness platform’s API or webhook.
5. The agent confirms the action in the chat: “You’re registered. Check your email for the kickoff details.”

The employee never leaves the chat. The program administrator gets the registration without manual data entry.

You configure custom actions in your Chatref agent’s settings. The setup requires two pieces: the conversation logic and the backend connection.

Define the action in Chatref

1. Open your wellness program agent in the Chatref dashboard.
2. Navigate to the Custom Actions section.
3. Create a new action. Name it clearly, such as “Register for step challenge.”
4. Add the prompt instruction the agent will follow. For example: “When an employee asks about wellness activities or you detect eligibility, ask if they want to join the current step challenge. Collect their name and department if not already known.”
5. Specify the required fields the agent must collect before triggering the action, such as employee ID, program choice, or shift preference.

Connect to your wellness platform

The custom action needs a destination. Chatref sends the collected data to a URL you provide, typically a webhook endpoint or an API your wellness platform exposes.

1. In the action configuration, enter the endpoint URL for your wellness platform’s registration API.
2. Map the fields the agent collected to the payload the API expects. If your platform expects employee_email and program_id, map the agent’s collected email and the static program identifier.
3. Test the action from the Chatref playground. Trigger the conversation, provide the requested details, and confirm the registration appears in your wellness platform.

Trigger the nudge

You control when the agent offers the action. Common triggers include:

• An employee opening the chat and asking about wellness benefits.
• A proactive greeting you configure based on the page the employee is visiting on your intranet.
• A scheduled campaign where you direct employees to the chat via email or Slack with a prompt like “Ask our wellness assistant about this month’s challenge.”

Once the basic registration action works, you can layer on additional program touchpoints.

Multi-step enrollment flows

Some programs require several pieces of information. A health screening booking might need the employee’s location, preferred time slot, and a consent confirmation. Chain multiple custom actions or build a single action that collects all fields in sequence. The agent asks one question at a time, keeping the conversation manageable.

Post-enrollment follow-up

Create a second action that triggers after registration. The agent can offer to add a calendar hold, send a reminder message, or ask about dietary preferences for a nutrition program. Each follow-up is a separate action you define, keeping the logic modular and testable.

Fallback and handoff

Not every interaction fits a predefined action. If an employee asks a question the action cannot handle, configure the agent to hand off to a human program coordinator through the shared inbox. The coordinator sees the full conversation context and can complete the enrollment manually. This prevents dead ends and maintains trust in the program.

Measure what works

Use Chatref’s conversation tags and insights to track which actions complete and where employees drop off. If a particular action has a high abandonment rate, review the question the agent asks. A vague prompt like “Which program?” loses more people than “Would you like the step challenge or the mindfulness series?” Refine the agent’s language based on real data.

What causes wellness program participation nudges problems for Corporate Wellness Programs?

The primary cause is friction between the nudge and the required action. An email or Slack message tells an employee to register, but the link leads to a separate portal requiring login, navigation, and form completion. Each step introduces a decision point where the employee can abandon the task. Generic, untargeted nudges that do not reflect an employee’s specific eligibility or past participation also reduce relevance and response rates.

How do I improve wellness program participation nudges for Corporate Wellness Programs?

Reduce the distance between the nudge and the completed action. Use a conversational agent that can collect the necessary information and trigger the enrollment in the same interaction. Target nudges based on what the employee is already asking about or their program history. Confirm the action immediately so the employee knows it is done, and provide a clear next step, such as a calendar invitation or preparation instructions.